Dhaka,
July 10 (UNB)- Bangladesh and China elevated their ties during Prime Minister
Sheikh Hasina's visit to Beijing this week, according to the consensus in
Chinese media outlets, a preponderance of which happen to be state-owned.
The two countries on
Wednesday upgraded their relations to a 'comprehensive strategic cooperative
partnership'.
China's state-led
international broadcaster, CGTN, which broadcasts in English, reported the
upgrade with an emphasis on Chinese President Xi Jinping's speech during the
meeting.
Xi said that since the
establishment of diplomatic relations in 1975, the two countries have always
shown mutual respect and support, treated each other on an equal footing and
engaged in win-win cooperation, according to CGTN. He also said the
relationship between China and Bangladesh stands as a shining example of
amicable interactions and mutually beneficial partnerships, particularly among
Global South nations.
Xi urged the two sides
to make efforts for the Year of People-to-People Exchanges between China and
Bangladesh next year to promote exchanges and cooperation in fields such as
culture, tourism, media and sports, CGTN reported, adding that he said China is
ready to work closely with Bangladesh on international and regional affairs,
and strengthen coordination and cooperation within the United Nations and other
multilateral frameworks.
Global Times, the
Chinese Communist Party's official mouthpiece, in a piece titled "China,
Bangladesh elevate ties, broaden cooperation" on Wednesday, repeated most
of the things CGTN reported from Xi's speech, and carried the prime minister's
assurances that "Bangladesh firmly adheres to the one-China principle,
supports China's stance on the Taiwan question, resolutely opposes external
forces' interference in China's internal affairs, and firmly supports China in
safeguarding its core interests".
The report quoted Qian
Feng, director of the research department at the National Strategy Institute at
Tsinghua University, as saying that the visit by Hasina is a link between the
past and the future for bilateral relations, especially in promoting high-level
cooperation in the field of economy and trade.
The development
strategies of the two countries will be further synergized, and more economic
and trade cooperation projects are expected to be implemented in the future,
injecting more substantive connotations into the duo's strategic cooperative
relations, Qian told Global Times.
Another expert that
Global Times spoke to, Hu Zhiyong, a research fellow with the Institute of
International Relations at the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences, said the
visit would further promote the traditional friendship between the two
countries.
Through cooperation over
the past years, Bangladesh has clearly seen how China's development ideas and
experience have played a huge role in promoting the economic and social
development of Bangladesh, Hu said.
The Global Times report
also noted the Indian angle, reporting: "[S]ome Indian media outlets
viewed Hasina's China visit as 'a balancing act to keep the two key players
happy,' as 'she needs India to be in power, and China for economic support.'
Some Indian media also talked down the cooperation between Beijing and
Dhaka."
In this context, Hu told
Global Times: "India always uses various excuses to obstruct and create
hype whenever a South Asian leader visits China, but New Delhi should not be
overly concerned that other countries' engagement with China will damage their
relations with India."
Meanwhile Qian, the
other expert quoted in the report, said: "For Bangladesh, in the face of
pressure from India, the development of China-Bangladesh relations also
provides a valuable choice for Dhaka to better safeguard its diplomatic
independence and development opportunities."
Global Times also
reported separately on 'The Summit on Trade, Business, and Investment
Opportunities between Bangladesh and China' that took place on Tuesday, and on
the day of the PM's arrival in Beijing, Monday, carried an op-ed titled
'China-Bangladesh bonhomie benefits both' by Zhang Xiaoyu, an expert in South
Asian Studies at the Communication University of China.
The South China Morning
Post, one of the few privately-owned media outlets in the country, based out of
Hong Kong, titled its report "China and Bangladesh pledge to fight
external interference and boost economic cooperation" on Wednesday.
It said Hasina reassured
Xi over Taiwan, calling it 'Beijing's most sensitive issue', and quoted the
prime minister as saying, "Bangladesh firmly adheres to the one-China
principle, supports China's position on the Taiwan issue, and resolutely
opposes external forces interfering in China's internal affairs".
SCMP also quoted Xi via
the other state broadcaster CCTV, which broadcasts in Chinese, as saying,
"China is willing to strengthen communication and coordination with
Bangladesh in multilateral fields, oppose hegemony and power politics, and
better safeguard international fairness and justice and the common interests of
developing countries."
The newspaper noted that
China's loans to "the debt-ridden country" have raised fears that
Bangladesh will be caught in a "debt trap" and struggle to repay
them. It said Hasina met Jin Liqun, president of the Asia Infrastructure Investment
Bank, to ask for the country's interest payments to be reduced, and recalled
Foreign Minister Hasan Mahmud's announcement prior to the trip that a $5
billion loan would be sought from China.
SCMP reports that there
has been "no immediate response from China to the requests".
China's official Xinhua
News Agency quoted Wang Huning, a member of China's Politburo Standing
Committee who met with Hasina, as saying that "China and Bangladesh have
respected and treated each other with equality, setting a good example of
friendly coexistence and mutually beneficial cooperation between
countries."
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